GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Project Directorate, Chennai

Monitoring of Marine Pollution through Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMAPS) Programme:

The Government of India, in the Ministry of Earth Sciences (formerly Ministry of Ocean Development) has been monitoring the levels of marine pollution at several locations along the coastline of the country from the year 1991-92 onwards. The data collected have indicated clearly the levels of pollution at these locations. The results obtained under the programme are periodically published in the Annual Report of the Ministry.

In order to create awareness among the public on the levels of marine pollution in the country, the Ministry has decided to publish the levels of pollution indicative parameters for the following locations atleast every three months or as and when data are collected (East Coast commencing from 1^st week of December 2006: Tuticorin, Cuddalore, Pondicherry, Ennore mouth, Bhimavaram, Kakinada, Gangavaram, Visakhapatnam, Paradip & Hooghly estuary; West Coast commencing from 1 st week of January 2007: Hazira, Bassein, Versova, Mahim, Thane, Mumbai harbour mouth, Mandovi, Zuari, Mangalore & Kochi).

In general, the coastal waters along the east coast of India especially at the locations where monitoring programme is carried out indicate contamination of untreated sewage in the form of high levels of pathogenic bacteria. The impact of industrial waste is localized and mostly confine to increased levels of phosphate at Paradip, which is also evident from the data of recent past years.

The status of marine pollution at these locations based on latest data collected can be viewed by clicking the buttons in the map displayed in the next page